For centuries, landlords have existed as people sought shelter. The relationships between landlords and tenants are often tense because landlords have power over their tenants’ housing situations. Arguments and disagreements are common, but rarely does it result in a bloody and violent outcome like the one that recently occurred in Hartford, Connecticut.
Jerry David Thompson, 42, was charged with murder on a Monday after his 64-year-old landlord, Victor King, was found dead in the kitchen of his Hartford home on Sunday afternoon.
The travelers’ insurance company retiree and professional bridge player, Victor King, had a confrontation with his tenant, Thompson who has refused to speak about the crime to authorities or a public defender, claiming he is a sovereign citizen, since his arrest, as the Hartford Police Department said. The argument began because of a disagreement over the payment process, and things quickly escalated as Thompson brandished his samurai sword at King.
Unfortunately, King’s body was found in the kitchen of his home in Hartford with his head separated from his body. Thompson had been renting a room from King. And a day before he was beheaded on Sunday, King reported to police that Thompson had waved the blade at him, as reported.
When King’s friends could not reach him Sunday, they alerted authorities. Usually, King was quite responsive, so his friends were concerned. Police and firefighters later forced their way into the house and discovered the grisly, bloody scene.
King’s body was partially covered by a sheet when police found his decapitated remains in the kitchen. Police tracked Thompson down and pulled him over in the city’s North End, but he refused to say anything to investigators – but just scribbled on a piece of paper, “paper in glove compart in Jeep is all you need,” according to the report.
In the vehicle’s glove compartment, cops found paperwork suggesting that he considered himself a sovereign citizen and not subject to the law.
Thompson was arraigned in Superior Court on Tuesday, where his previous convictions for assault and robbery were brought to light. He is currently held on $2 million bail and is facing murder charges for his actions against King.
King worked in IT at Travelers for more than 20 years, retiring in 2018 to focus on playing bridge, King won the national championship in bridge in 2016 and was an excellent teacher of the game.
“Just a kind and gentle person whose first love was bridge. He was one of the good guys – one that would never hurt a soul. One that would always reach out and help others, he was pleasant as can be. Always seemed to be happy, he was just a joy to be around,” the victim’s cousin Jim Banks said. Banks stated that
Paul Linxwiler, the executive editor of the Bridge Bulletin, a publication of the American Contract Bridge League, described King as a Grand Life Master, “which is our highest rank.”
“He was known as a top player from New England,” Linxwiler added.
As the investigators continue to sort through the evidence, they must now consider Thompson’s paperwork on sovereign citizenship, which could complicate the court proceedings. It is a tragedy that King’s life was taken in such a violent and brutal manner, leaving his loved ones devastated and searching for answers.
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Sources: AWM, Thedailybeast, Courant
